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An eccentric collector has set up a museum in his back yard celebrating the history of Britain’s postal service.

Electrician Arthur Reeder has opened his collection of 190 Royal Mail post boxes to the public – free of charge.

Mr Reeder, 52, began collecting old letterboxes in 1994 after he rescued one from a skip during a holiday trip to Ryhl in North Wales and brought it home.

‘After doing that, I really caught the collecting bug and started writing to people and Royal Mail who were getting rid of old post boxes,’ he said.

Mr Reeder – who moved from his old home in London when his collection became too big – has now opened the Postal Museum at his four-acre house in Binfield, the Isle of Wight. He describes his collection as ‘a piece of British history’.

‘You assume every box is the same but they’re not because they had so many different designs,’ he said.

His favourite is the Penfold C1 which dates back to 1852 and is the centrepiece of his garden display. Only two others like it exist.

‘It’s a fascinating slice of British life that is now disappearing and I am trying to keep it alive,’ he said.

Mr Reeder’s wife, Kim, 50, added: ‘Anything that keeps him out from under my feet is a good thing, and every man needs a hobby, don’t they?’